Frustration
by LyonSabre
Summary: Vegeta is old, and his rivalry with Goku rises again...


*NOTE: So I don't get sued; I did not create DragonBall, nor take any credit for it. I am  
just an aspiring writer (artist?) who wrote a fanfic BASED on the hit TV series and  
manga. Oh yeah, this plot takes place many years after GT.  
  
*FRUSTRATION*  
  
The day was bright and crisp on this day, where mountains would crumble,  
the skies would tremble and perhaps even heaven itself would be torn asunder. It was   
this day that an aged Goku and and aged Vegeta would both mount the re-enforced floor  
of a boudaki competition that had previously taken place, and settle once and for all who   
was the fittest survivor of the decimation of the saiyin-jins. Long had Vegeta nursed a   
feeling mixed with both embarrassment and inferiority when thoughts turned to his   
sparring partner, Goku; it was just an impossibility trying to beat him, it couldn't be done!   
This went on until a revelation came to Vegita, and though no one really knew why, he   
gave up the struggle, peaceabley.  
It was only when he realized that even saiyin-jins age and die that   
Vegeta, at the ripe old age of 89 was again visited by the feelings of frustration   
concerning his being only second rate. It was around this time that Vegita began to   
actually turn to these thoughts around in his veined head, testing their merit and   
possibilities. It was only natural that ideas of ambushes or cold blooded killing came to   
mind, but were dismissed as unhonorable, though only because as the prince of   
saiyin-jins, he had a good image to upkeep. Besides, the honor thing, Vegeta wanted   
to actually test his might against Goku's and find out for sure So, then the daydreaming  
turned to a great and mighty match where two honorable opponents would meet for   
perhaps the final time, and then a winner would come forth, and it would be done. finit.   
End of story. They could go their separate ways.   
Chi Chi had done herself wrong to yell constantly and raise her blood   
pressure - at only 60 she had dropped down dead from a heart attack. Bulma died   
peacefully in her sleep a few years later, leaving both Goku and Vegeta himself   
reasonably unrestrained, and without anyone to really stop the tournament. Gohan,   
Trunks and Goten were all off with their own families, and rarely visited anymore. It   
was such a good idea, and perhaps a time when one could redeem themselves, the   
underdog could come out on top. At this time in his life, for Vegita, it was either now...or  
never!  
It took some persuading for Goku, who eventually saw it as little more than  
training for no real purpose. Their common relatives like Gohan, Trunks, Gotin, and  
even non relatives like Yamcha jr gave an outcry about the whole thing, arguing that   
even unintentionally, the two could slaughter one another. It was too late however, as   
Goku had been gotten to by Vegeta first, and had given his word. It was scheduled to   
take place on June first of the next year, given that both participants were still alive. In   
fact, it would take place directly after the boudakai of that day, after the celebration of the  
newest 'strongest under the sun', which would probably be Gohin again.  
It had taken little persuasion for the owners of the boudakai to agree with the  
use of their grounds. Having an extra feature basically at no cost to them made the   
chairmen greedy; dreams of free money danced in their heads It was then, when   
the beginning of July arrived, great crowds came to be spectators at the great   
competition, more than average, due to the extra feature that would take place at the   
end. Front row seats were given to the relatives of the two senior saiyin-jins, and even   
complementary refreshments were handed out, as an added thanks. It was not long   
after that the matches began, where the fighters who had made it past the qualifying   
round came up and began the real matches.   
Gohin made his parents proud as he won match after match until he was, as   
predicted, crowned overall winner in the adult tournament. There was music and   
celebration for a short time until a hushed silence fell over the crowd, and the master of   
ceremonies came up to the podium and announced.  
" Ladies and gentlemen, and assorted others...I welcome you to our special  
presentation! Will our two esteemed challengers please make your way up to the  
ring?!" Solemn music began to play.  
  
****  
  
Vegeta sat on a bench underneath the stage underneath the boudakai, his  
hands sweaty inside his clean white gloves, newly made like the rest of his clothes  
for this special occasion. The last year had been hectic, where he found himself  
restless at night, and training harder than he had before, especially after the death of  
Bulma. At one time, he actually believed he had overdone it, when his heart felt as if  
it had exploded, and the veins on his forehead, there were more of them now, popped  
as they had never done even when he had gone Super Saiyin-Jin 4 so long ago. The   
great Prince of the Sayin-jins, undefeated by few, even Brolly, dead from a simple heart   
attack from over exertion, now that wasn't a pleasant thought. So, he had toned things   
down a bit, training only during the daytime hours, and spending his nights tossing and   
turning in bed. It was a horrible time in which his only driving force was obsession, an   
old man's wish was to come half-true, the other half was up to him.  
"...will our two esteemed challengers please make your way up to the   
ring?!"  
Came a loudspeaker voice, coming from above. Vegeta sighed and let his shoulders  
sag as he slumped on the bench. A shiver of despair wracked his stocky frame for a  
moment, then he rose, having immediately regained his composure. Slowly taking his  
right hand up to his forehead, he began concentrating, and then a second later was  
gone, leaving the locker room below the boudakai as empty as if he had never been  
there.  
  
****  
  
Arriving at the above level and in front of seemingly millions of spectators,  
Vegeta gained an adrenaline rush. Looking at the sea of faces, all silent in respect,  
Vegeta truly believed this was to be one of the greatest days of his life. At the other side  
of the ring, Goku was already standing, not at all bent by the years and battles thrown  
at him. His hair was as black as ever, perhaps dyed. The announcer began again.  
" Gathered here, we have two of the greatest fighters on the earth!   
Rivaled by few other than the legendary Mr. Satan, these men stood up to the onslaught  
created by Cell, and even the seemingly endless appetite of Buu, even if those two  
foes proved were too powerful and overwhelmed our champions. Now, to prove their   
worth even in old age, they stand before us...ladeeeez and gen-tlemen, Son Goku and   
Vegeta!"  
A roar of approval reverberated throughout the stands as people began  
cheering, some even seemed to be chanting the name of their personal favourite.   
Vegeta sneered, doubting that most of the populace had such real appreciation, but   
rather, just wanted a good show. He planned to give it to them.  
An attention-getting cough was emitted from the loudspeakers, but it took a   
few, louder ones and a few more seconds before the quiet was restored. The wind   
rustled across.  
" Contestants, I ask that you both bow and shake hands, then return   
to your side of the ring, at which time I shall announce the beginning of the fight."  
Moving with slow but decisive steps, Vegeta made his way to the centre of   
the ring, and faced his adversary, who had moved equally slowly and solemnly to   
meet Vegita, where they bowed to each other, and taking the other's hand in a firm   
grip, made 3 shakes before returning their hands to their sides, and moving back. They   
then awaited the announcer.  
" Alriggggghhhhhhhhhhttttt then, Goku....Vegeta...FIGHT!"  
Sprinting at supersonic speed, Vegeta ran at Goku and began his assault. Ducking at   
the last millisecond, he dodged Goku's rather feeble punch, and then jumped up,   
fist up raised, striking Goku right in the chin with an enormous amount of power. The   
uplift of such an uppercut brought him about a meter into the air, and vulnerable   
to attack. Goku, having only been phased for a moment by the punch, put his arm   
onto the ground, and in a one armed handstand, kicked Vegeta on his underside,   
sending him flying upwards.  
"Kuso!" yelled Vegeta, angry again that even in his old age, Goku was as   
sharp as ever, turning even a small defeat from his path. Sending shot of energy down   
from his high position, Vegeta tried to hone in on Goku, but managed to hit only the steel   
ground, unable to keep up with his nemesis' speed and Zanzokening. When the   
dust cleared, Vegeta couldn't believe his bad fortune...he'd lost sight of his opponent. A   
hard hit to the back of his head told him all he needed to know, that Goku had   
transported right behind him, the oldest trick in the book. Making a hole worthy of the   
prince of Saiyin-Jins, he crashed into the steel floor. Immediately, he sprang up again,   
shooting a kienzen where Goku had previously been...previously as in Goku was no   
longer there.  
  
****  
  
Turning around with lightning speed, Vegeta did a 360 degrees turn, then   
fired again at the figure that materialized in front of him. Solid thunks told Vegeta   
that his energy attacks had hit their mark, a smoking mass flew to the other end before   
bouncing on the ring floor. Vegeta took this opportunity to focus his energy and with   
an effort that popped out his numerous forehead veins, he turned black to yellow,   
mortal to SSJ, perhaps underdog to champion?  
Out of the smoldering wreckage where Goku had landed, there came out   
a being without the black hair of Goku, but hair more the brilliant yellow that Vegeta   
had himself.  
'So' thought Vegeta, 'the stakes rise.' The fight had just been taken onto a   
whole level. Goku no longer had the kind face that he was known for, a blank   
happiness that boasted of lack of brain. The battle of the two SSJ's began much like   
the battle of the two had began before, with a flurry of punches and kicks, and last   
gigasecond dodging. Soon enough, this was tired of, and then energy attacks were   
initiated. Again, both combatants got little headway on the other, hit being exchanged   
for hit, and dodge exchanged for dodge.  
Eventually, this too came to an end, and the stakes rose even further, Goku   
went SSJ 2. Not to be outdone, Vegeta, although a bit strained, matched this feat. In   
a frenzy too fast for the human eyes of the spectators (though many claimed that they   
HAD seen it), more punches and kicks were exchanged, then energy attacks. By the   
end of it, Vegeta actually found himself the victor of this stage, as he blasted Goku   
away with a particularily large energy attack. Goku got slowly up to his feet (slowly for   
a SSJ) and surrounded by a heavy aura, appeared to power up. At first nothing   
happened, and Vegeta watched intently, ready to jump or block or counterattack at any   
time. The logical event would be that his hair would spurt to an even larger yellow   
mass, signalling yet another inevitable stage in the fight. What did happen was that   
Gokus' hair returned to his black color.  
  
****  
  
Vegeta could hardly believe that an honorable victory had been snatched   
from him, even in his moment of assured victory, that Goku would be so underhanded   
as to return to his normal state, and make his defeat a signal to Vegeta's treachury.   
This idea had Vegeta so upset and perplexed that it was not until Goku was done and   
glaring angrily at him that Vegeta realized the horrible truth. His hair, black yet   
shimmering, and his upper body covered in reddish fur - Goku had attained the highest   
level...Super Saiyin-Jin 4!!! Vegeta cursed. This was not good for him. It was then that  
Vegeta recognized the choice he had to make, perhaps a choice between death and   
death, not too appealing.  
If Vegeta remained at his current level, he knew that he'd be made into   
mincemeat. A Super Saiyin-jin's power level increased exponentially each rise, such   
that each higher level could defeat any level before it, except maybe in Brolly's case,   
but Brolly wasn't here. If he attempted Super Saiyin-Jin 4 himself, Vegeta knew that   
the strain of the transformation could kill him, even less Goku to contend with. It was   
a hard choice, but in the actions of a true warrior, Vegeta accepted the possibility of   
death in return for the chance to show his worth. Vegeta began powering up.  
  
****  
  
The strain truly was an effort. Vegeta, although having done it comparatively   
easily when the dragons had to be subdued about 30 years earlier, it was actually quite   
painful this time around. First, Vegeta felt his skin literally being ripped off, though in   
truth it was only being very vigorously stretched. Veins stuck out of his skin like never   
before, making almost a continued line as if Bugs Bunny himself was underneath his   
skin and burrowing his way around. Instead of the faint blue that they usually were, or   
even a normal skin hue, they pulsed an angry red, for indeed some of them must have   
burst from the rigours of this attempted transformation. Muscles bulged and an angry  
aura of red, matching of the burst veins, surrounded Vegita as he continued to power   
up. His hair rippled violently, the snaps as if made by a wet towel were loudly audible -   
or would have been if the roaring of both the immense power being expended and   
Vegeta's own tortured voice did not overpower it.  
Two small shafts of hair shot forth to take their place on either side of   
Vegita's head, whipping around like the rest of the hair, and occasionally knocking   
against the bulging neck. Red fur burst out of the body, covering all but his chest, neck   
and head, though there were noticeable streaks of grey in it. Hair that had been  
completely yellow before tweened into a dominant black color which, like the fur, had a   
few streaks of grey; even SSJ 4 was not safe from the process of aging it seemed. At   
last the transformation was completed, and the two SSJ 4's faced each other, the   
crowd watching from underneath the bleachers, many of whom would probably have a   
few more grey hairs themselves after this fantastic event.  
The air was thick with wave after wave of power forcing iteself at the   
surrounding area, each fighter almost containing their own unique gravity. Yet, despite   
the power, neither appeared to move, mimicing an old fashioned gun draw, neither   
wanting any part of an offensive, saving their own unquestionable energy for a defence   
and earth shattering counter attack. The waiting was worse than any of the previous   
fighting was; before, a person could have been killed in the crossfire with not a thought   
about it. Now, the brain was given time to register the dawning fear, coming over   
them in almost a likeness to the flowing ki. So it was, that undaunted by the  
previous fighting, the two statues faced each other, each face almost a mirror image   
of the other, one of stern hate, the form taken unable to register much more. Life   
seemed at a standstill, not even the wind over the plains daring to make a whistle or   
whisper.  
Before it was seen, it was felt. The air suddenly became suffocating, and  
the heat surpassed that of the normal summer temperature, even further than the  
waves of energy had done. The whole area was enveloped in a warm flash, not white,  
but a more reddish color, though few cared to notice. Those who did missed the   
climax of the fight, as their retinas were burned out and they could see nothing but it for   
a couple of days afterwards. For those who did cover up, the next step was one of  
breathtaking splendor. Both fighters had changed their stance dramatically, both in the  
telltale kneel, one with hands held behind him, the other holding arms and hands out in   
front, both holding condensed masses of ki, and uttering the needed words in such loud  
voices that it was really not a voice at all, but a background droning, much like the   
crickets at night, or even the silence had been but a few seconds before.   
Muscles bulged, air stopped, veins exploded, ears popped. Then, with  
the speed only a Super Saiyin-jin 4 could muster, each shot forth their unique and   
strongest attack. One shot forth a large Kamehameha, the other a dazzling Final Flash,  
causing the land to crack with the pressure. The benches were pushed back and the   
re-enforced floors were all but inceinerated. The last battle would not be fought   
using fists and feet, petty energy attacks or even strategic minds. It would now be   
won with how much each wanted to win.  
  
****  
  
Vegeta's heart pounded, close to bursting and ending it right then and there,   
but nevertheless, it held. His mind raced with fury and the old frustration, angry at Goku  
for all the harm he had caused mentally, that would perhaps cause mutually assured  
destruction because of the developed inferiority comple. A tear escaped his near-shut  
right eye, followed by another, and another. None made it down to his clenched face,   
but instead fizzled and became only so much heavy air. He ached, he hurt and felt   
close to surrendering to his death, leaving Goku the triumphant, yet again, as it had   
always been. He might as well give in to fate, it was over...  
NO! The prince of the Saiyin-Jin would NOT give up that easily. Feeling the  
emptiness of despair filling up with a flood of determination, Vegeta set it free, going  
all out in his kamehameha caring no longer who lived or died, but that his last resort  
should be remembered for a long time. The tears now gone, he put in his last effort. It  
flooded out.  
  
****  
  
To the spectators at home, who were now about the only ones who could   
see clearly anymore (the exceptions were the family of the two combatants, who were   
strong enough to resist the now harsh environment), it was a thing to behold. Each red   
fur covered man with flowing black hair stood in the attack stance, the energy pouring   
forth in such quantity as would never be seen again, or had been before. Then, when   
some looked Vegeta's way, they gasped in amazement, believing before this that they   
had seen it all.  
Almost elastically, his body pounded out, his muscles expanding to such a   
degree as would probably make it impossible for any mobility to exist in them. His hair   
and body fur flashed into a white color and behold and he was no longer recognizeable   
for that one second. The energy bolt he had fired increased exponentially in size, and   
in the face of it, everything else was puny.  
Goku was engulfed by this, and perhaps even saw his life pass before his   
eyes, or uttered the name of a loved one, before he was incinerated too, like much   
of the rest of the scenery. In any case, Vegeta was too exhausted by the strain to   
continue, and when he finally stopped and the energy stream came to a halt, Goku was   
nowhere to be seen; pehaps back in hell (heaven?) where he had been many times   
before. Vegeta's hair faded from black to yellowish, and finally back to a fuzzy grey,   
and he fell to the ground.  
  
****  
  
The wind was cool on his skin, Vegeta realized, as he lost his balance, his   
legs no longer able to uphold him with the drastic loss of muscles his transformation   
back to a normal saiyin had brought about. Time slowed to a grind as he obeyed   
gravity, everything in slow motion. He was happy although he didn't know why.  
Everything seemed to be a source of confusion as it all swayed together like the water   
on the ocean as it slipped and swam together. His eyes were no longer empty; Vegeta   
felt them brim up with tears again, standing there at the edge of his lower eye, but not   
leaving, just kind of standing sentry.  
He felt numb throughout most of his body, and could only focus on one   
thing: sleep. But he couldn't sleep yet, he had to rememebr WHY he was happy. It was   
irritating and a slight pain made its way through the numbness, a dull thudding that   
made thinking even harder. He knew that without the answer, he couldn't be at peace,   
and that annoyed him. He thought hard. Then, just like that, it came to him, he had   
beaten Goku.   
Now the tears came, dropping as slowly down his face as he himself was   
falling down to the ground. The thudding went away, but the memory remained, the   
remembrance that at last the impossible foe had fallen at his hands, his life long rival a   
worry no more. He was now at peace, and he closed his eyes, shutting out the looming  
ground, and he dreamed.  
Vegeta dreamt of times, long ago, back on Planet Vegeta as a boy, when he   
had actually had playfulness in him, and harsh reality had no part. He saw planet   
conquering, Freeza, his father King Vegeta, his comrade Nappa...and Goku. He saw   
his first confrontation with Goku.  
  
  
* Well, that's that, I've at last finished this fanfic, and have it on my mind no longer.  
I went from the feeling of emptiness and chances not taken to aggravation at not   
exceling at something, and the one who does. I think I put symbolism in it, or some   
kinda literary technique in here. Ah well, what one has to do without is no use thinking   
more about.  
  
ADIOS  
-LyonSabre  
  
Lyonsabreent@yahoo.com ; www.geocities.com/lyonsabreent/LyonSabreEnt.html 


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